Panzer Crewman 1939–45

Osprey Warrior #46

by Gordon Williamson, Velimir Vuksic (Illustrator)

In World War II (1939-1945), the Panzer crews spearheaded every major campaign or battle from the invasions of Poland and France to the last great counter-offensive in the Ardennes. Germany's Panzer crews fought on every front and along the way earned a formidable reputation for élan in attack and steadfastness in defence. This book charts the recruitment, training, service conditions and combat experience of a typical World War II German tank crewman, serving on various fronts - from the scorching heat of the Western Desert to the frozen tundra of the Eastern Front. It features many unpublished photographs from both private collectors and Panzer veterans themselves.

Genres: War, Nonfiction, History, Military Fiction

64 pages, Paperback

First published April 25, 2002

About the author

Gordon Williamson (born 1951) is a military history writer and author based in the United Kingdom. Williamson spent seven years with the Military Police in the British Territorial Army and resides in Scotland. Williamson's works focus primarily on German military forces during the Second World War.

Williamson has worked with several publishers but is perhaps best known for his continuing partnership with Osprey Publishing, with whom he has produced over 40 books.

Reviews

[Michael Dorosh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not a bad volume by any means, but nothing extremely new, and hints at an ongoing unhealthy trend in the Osprey line.

Sixty-four pages with colour plates. Very well written. Williamson is no stranger to German military subjects, though most of his works seem to deal in general, broad strokes - see his INFANTRY ACES OF THE THIRD REICH for example. Some good (secondary) research has been done - more on this later, however.

Colour plates - very well done. Vuksic needs to work on his human faces, but he major depictions of vehicles and equipment and uniforms are above average. Minor research error in plate G; the NCO is depicted wearing gold or yellow metal cyphers and stars on the shoulder straps; these should naturally be silver or white metal. However, compare to the excellent use of colour in, for example, the jackboot in plate A - Vuksic approaches photo-realistic quality in many of his depictions. The vignettes were effective also, especially the final one with the bailed out tank crew.

The text focusses on several major topics; again, there is little new covered here though some nuggets may be of value to panzer buffs. The geographical recruitment table was to me a nice touch, eithers may view it as a waste of space. The space devoted to "elite" panzer units seemed like a waste given that some were not mentioned at all (Panzer Lehr for example!), and other notables like 24 Panzer Division (nee 1 Kavallerie Division) are not mentioned either. Also a tendency to muddle designations and use only late war - for example the anti-tank units were known as panzerabwehr einheiten early in the war, and did not become panzerjäger until much later; this is not hinted at. So those looking for proper designations will not find this book helpful.

What the book does do is cover in broad strokes the basics of how a German panzer soldier was inducted, trained, what basic tactics and crew positions he was taught, with some brief history of units, vehicles, and campaigns. Uniforms are discussed in some detail, but not nearly enough - for example the date of discontinuation of the pink collar piping is not mentioned in the captions for plate A. A partial list of branches that wore the black uniform is provided, but this too is incomplete and covered in far more detail by Edwards in the FIELD UNIFORMS OF GERMAN ARMY PANZER FORCES IN WORLD WAR 2.

Which brings us to the disturbing trend in Osprey books. Edwards seems to have been a source for the branch information (the book is not listed in the bibliography, incidentally). Much more research than previous, speaking in general terms of Osprey books, not just this one in particular, seems to be done through secondary sources. The panzer-propaganda units are mentioned prominently in Edwards' book, for example - the first mention in print I've seen of them. Williamson has dutifully, it appears, made use of this secondary information to pass on in his own book. Note also the anecdotal story of the SS man captured by Polish troops on page 55, which is the sole basis for an entire section devoted to the No Quarter treatment of tank crews. Williamson has interviewed many veterans and so much of the "secondary" material here is no doubt confirmed by his interviews during his long career, but one wonders how much of each is present.

Fans of Barkmann and Wittmann, the panzer experts, will appreciate the extensive coverage of these two figures, with photos from Herr Barkmann's personal collection. Unfortunately, no Army figures are given similar treatment.

Williamson does cover some good ground; for an introduction to tank crews - which is all the book claims to be - it will be money well spent. Might have benefitted from a more consistent focus; more attention paid to getting the uniform information better presented (this is done much better in Osprey's own THE PANZER DIVISIONS), perhaps stayed away from quite so many Waffen SS stories and anecdotes in favour of more primary research.

Overall good, and the colour plates add tremendously to this. Williamson is a solid writer and writes in a colloquial, anecdotal style. This should not be offputting to the majority of interested parties buying this book.

[Martin Koenigsberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

First published in 2002 , this book is about the guys in the Panzers that conquered Europe in the early 1940s. Number 46 in the Osprey Publishing "Warrior" series, about soldier castes, takes on a subject fraught with its association with the Nazi Party and the horrors of Hitlerian rule. We learn about the Roots of the mechanised units of the Inter War period when Germany was constrained by the Versailles treaty- and the Developments into the Nazi period as resources poured into the Military under Hitler. The glamour of the Panzer troopers appealed to the Nazis- technology controlled by the supermen. By building an armoured tip of the spear- the Wehrmacht might make up for being largely an infantry Army with a high percentage of divisions being bareley motorised, if at all. After testing the theories in Spain and in Poland, the Wehrmacht was ready to try their theories on a larger stage.

In Western Europe, it seems like all the ideas work, and the British get sent home, the French to ignominious defeat Then Russia proves a nasty shock to the Panzerwaffe. The Russians never seemed to run out of Armies, not matter how large the bags of Soviet prisoners are that get caught in various double and triple envelopements the Nazis pull off. And of course the T34/KV-1 tanks the Russian have built in numbers seem to be better tanks, if not better led, and most dangerous indeed. For the rest of the War it will be Soviet Mass and logistical support (33% of all soviet vehicles in 1945 were lend-lease products of the USA and the British Empire) against German skill and fewer if sometimes better weaponry. Gordon Williamson, an expert in Nazi Military units tells the story of the soldiers in the tanks- training, doctrine and routines. The book is full of b/w pictures and great colour plates by Velimir Vuksic, who knows his way around pea-dot camo. Both Wehrmacht and Waffen SS tankers are covered, with an emphasis on the former. The tone is appropriate, respecting the military achievements of the Panzertruppe, without slipping over into adulation as some tend to do in such books.

Few adult themes and no passages with graphic violence means this is a fine book for the 12/13 year old Junior Reader with a historical bent. For the Gamer/Modeller/Military Enthusiast, more of a background resource than a front line aid. The Gamer will not find too much direct help here- although the colour plates do cover a lot of uniforms and gear. The Modeler will get a little bit of help with diorama development, as the book discusses various routine chores that tank crews needed to do with their iron steeds. The Military Enthusiast gets a good basic introduction to Wehrmacht Mechanized Warfare training and doctrine, information that will help with understanding many other books around and about this topic. More mainstream readers will find this interesting enough as well, as this corps has had a general cultural impact as well on post war media.